Acetylene-gas generator.



No. 717,661. PATENTED JAN. 6, 1903.'

y J. DE 1)."T'EJAEA. AGETYLENE GAS GENERATOR. Y APPLIOATIN FILED AUG.12,1901. l N0 MODEL. a 2 SHEETS-SHEET L No; 717,661. v MTENTED JAN. e,190s.

- J. DBD.' TEJADA.

AGBTYLBN-E GAS GBNERATUR APPLICATION F1-L31) AUG. 12, 1901.

N0 IODEL. 2 SHETS-SHBET 2.

4&3.

NTTn STATES JUAN D @IOS TEJADA, OF HAVANA, CUBA.

AcsTYLEN-E-'GAS GEN EnATo R.

SEECIFIGATION forming part of ALetters atent No. 717,661, dated January6, 1.903. Application iiled August 1 2, 1.901.rv Serial No. 71,803. (Nomodel.)

To @ZZ whom t 11a/cry concern:

Beit known that I, JUAN on Dios TEJADA,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Havana, in the Province ofHavana, Cuba, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inAcetylene- Gas Generators; and l do hereby declare the following to be afull,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesaine.

This invention relates to improvements in acetylene-gas generators, andhas for its object the production of a generator in which the calciumcarbid is automatically ted to Water dropping or plunging into the same,the quantity of carbid fed being proportionate to the pressure of thegas within the generator, the device being also constructed sov that aproper quantity of Water will be maintained within the same, while thedevice may be cleansed from time to time by blowing oft the carbidsediments without stopping the operation of the generator, the gasproduced being dried and filtered or purified before leaving theapparatus.

lt consists in certain novel constructions, combinations, andarrangements of parts, as will be hereinafter fully described andclaimed.

lin the accompanying drawings, Figure `1 represents a side elevation ofmy gas-generator, a portion of the same being broken away and shown insection. Fig. 2 is a vertical central section through the upper portionof the generator, taken upon a plane at right angles to the plane of thesectioned portion of Fig. 1. Fig. 8 is a detail central sectional viewthrough the lower portion of the generator, taken upon the line ot' theSiphon-outlet. Fig. i is an enlarged detailv sectional view through theoutlet filtering-cock through which the gas has to pass in leaving theapparatus.

ing the lower portion of the gas-holder 4. The upper end of the innershell 2 is drawn inwardly to some extent and supports a carbid-holder 5.The lower end of the carbidholder 5 is'funnel-shaped, as at 6, andextends into the shell 2 some little distance. Below the carbid-holderand interiorly of the shell 2 is formed an annular chamber 7, adapted tohold water. The Water-chamber 7 is connected with the shell-recess 3 bymeans of an aperture 8, arranged in the inner shell 2 near the upper endthereof. Opposite the aperture 8 is formed "another aperture 9 in theouter shell or casing 1 ofthe apparatus, this aperture beingsomewhatguarded by an outwardly-projecting lip, as at 10.

Upon oneside of the casing 1 is arranged a closed passageway 11, whichextends nearly the entire length of the casing 1. Its upper end coversthe aperture 9, and when water overflows through the same it conductsthe said water to a point near the bottom of the apparatus, where anaperture 12 is formed in the casing l, by which the Water may beintroduced into the bottom of the apparatus, which forms a separategeneratingchamben The bottom of the water-chamber 13 is preferablyformed so as to drain toward a central outlet 14, formed near thecenterlthereof and leading into anA outlet-passage 15, formed beneaththe door of the water-chamber 13. A U-shaped pipe or Siphon 16 entersthe charn- Vher 15 at one end and extends upwardly outside `the casing 1to a suitable point and thence downwardly again to a point adjacent toits other end. This outer end of the siphon is open, and the-bend in thepipe or siphon-16 regulates the height to which the water rises in thechamber 13. The Siphon-pipe 16 is connected with the outlet-passagechainber 15 in such a manner that it may be turned downwardly, asindicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1. When it is wished to fiush thebottom of the chamber 13, the Siphon 16 is turned downwardly to theposition shown in Fig. l, which causes the water to run into thedescending leg of the said siphon, after which the siphon is quicklyraised to its vertical position again. This causes the wat-er which hasentered the descending leg of the siphon to run out of the same withsuicient force to form avacuum behind it, and through the IOO siphonaction thus set up the water in the chamber 13 will be caused to How outthrough the Siphon-pipe 16 with considerable force, dropping into thepassage 15 and carrying the sediment with it. The water will continue torun out through the siphon until the level of the water reaches theaperture 12, at which time the pressure inside the water-chamber will beso reduced that the siphonic action will cease in the pipe 16, thesiphon being broken from the outside. The aperture 12 will be openedsufficiently to permit some atmospheric air to enter the water-chamber,which will destroy the vacuum at that point. The water in the ascendingleg of the siphonpipe 16 will then run back into the waterchamber,raising the level of the water therein immediately to the height abovethe opening 12 and sealing the same again, thereby preventing the escapeof gas through the said aperture. When the flushing action is inprogress, the water is usually introduced into the apparatus through anysuitable meansas, for instance, a faucet 60, which may be arranged tooverhang the upper flared edge of the casing 1. The in liow of waterwill be continued after the siphonic action through the pipe 16 ceasesand until the normal level.

of the water in the chamber13 is established again. The water-chamber isusually ushed when gas is not being generated, so that the pressure inthe water chamber is so eX- pandcd as to almost form a vacuum in saidchamber before the ushing operation ceases. The siphonpipe 16 is lockedin its vertical position by means of a suitable hook, as 17, so that itcannot become accidentally displaced when it is desired to clean out thewater-receptacle. The movablejoint connecting the Siphon-pipe 16 to theoutletchamber 15 is suitably packed, so that there will be no leakage atthis point. The action of the Siphon-pipe in maintaining the waterlevelin the chamber 13 will be readily seen, since the water will rise in thesaid pipe as rapidly as it rises in the chamber, and when the water inthe pipe reaches the U-shaped bend therein it will drain out through theopen downwardly-extending portion thereof. The water in the chamber 13can therefore not rise higher than the bend in the siphon tube or pipe16. Water lis fed into the said apparatus by pouring it into the flaringupper end of the casing 1 between the said casing andthe gas-holder 4.The water will fill the recess 3, which receives the gas-holder, andpassing through the aperture 8 will till the inner annularwater-compartment 7 until the water therein has reached the height ofthe aperture 8. After this when more water is introduced it will risehigh enough to flow over the lip 10 from the aperture 9 and thencedownwardly through the passageway 11 on the side of the casing l andinto the chamber 13 through the aperture 12. The water will rise, asbefore stated, in the said chamber 13 until the bend of the Siphon-pipe16 is reached, after which, of course, it will run out of the said pipe.By introducing a sufficient amount of water into the top of the casing 1the height of the water in the chambers 13 and 7 will be automaticallymaintained at the levels indicated in Fig. 1 of the drawings. The waterin the lower receptacle 13 is used for forming with the carbid theacetylene gas, while the water in the upper receptacle of the apparatusis used to form a gas-holding seal.

A sufcient space is left inside the annular chamber 7 at 18 to permit ofa proper quantity of carbid being introduced into the water-chamber 13from time to time. This recess 18 receives the lower end of thefunnelshaped bottom 6 of the carbid-holder 5. The upper end of thecarbid-holder is open, but is strengthened by means of a spider 19,formed of cross-bars extending from side to side, the said cross-bars attheir centers supporting a valve-holding tube, as 20. The tube 20 eX-tends downwardly through the central portion of the carbid-holder and isformed with an annular Haring end portion, as 21, which is arranged tofill considerable of the space at the lower end of the funnel 6. Theenlarged end 2l of the said tube operates to prevent the carbid fromresting upon a carbiddelivering valve 22 at the lower end of thecarbid-chamber with too great a weight.

The valve 22 is cone-shaped and is formed with a lower projectingannular flange 23, so that it cannot be drawn into the carbid-chambertoo far. The cone 22 extends upwardly into the open end of the funnel 6and allows more or less carbid to pass out of the end of the funnel,according as the said valve is depressed to a greater or less degree.The valve 22 is secured to the lower end of the valve stem or rod 24,which projects upwardly through the hollow tube 20 and to a point notfar below the horizontal top of the gas-holder 4. The upper end of thevalve-stem 24 is preferably provided with a head or knob 25, preferablyrounded upon its upper surface. A coil-spring 26 surroundsthe'valve-stem for a portion of its length and is secured at its upperend to the spider 19, while at its lower end. it is secured to thevalve-stem 24 or a projection formed thereon. The spring is so arrangedas to normally draw the valve 22 upwardly against its seat at the loweredge of the carbid-holder funnel. It will be apparent that if thepressure of gas in the holder decreases considerably the top of theholder can descend until means carried thereby, as will be hereinafterfully described, engages and pushes the valve-stem downwardly, thusopening the valve 22 and dropping more carbid into the water, so thatfresh gas will be instantly generated and, passing into the gasholder,will raise the same again. The introduction of carbid is thusautomatically regulated in exact accordance with the amount of gas drawnfrom said gas-holder.

In order to start the operation of the appa- IIO IIS

ratus before any gas has been formed, I en1- ploy a sliding bolt orWedge 27, arranging the same upon the inner surface of the top of thegasholder and in such a manner that when it is reciprocated it Will passover the upper end of the valve-stem 24, engaging the button 25 thereon.This Wedge 27 is connected by means of a swivel-joint with a screw 28,one end of the screw1 passing ont through the side of the gas-holderandthrough a packinggland 29, receiving au operating-handie 30 on itsouterend, by means of which it may be turned. The packing-gland 2Oprevents the escape of gas at this point. When it is desired to startthe operation ot' the apparatus, a suitable quantity of carbid havingbeen put inthe carbid-holder 5, the screw 28 is rotated by means ofthehandle 3U until the Wedge 27 has been forced along over the upper endof the valve-stem 24, the thickest portion of the said wedge operatingto open the valve 22 and introduce carbid into the Waterchamber 13. Thevalve may-'thus be held open a suitable length of time ioiutroduce apropel' quantity of carbid into the water, after which the screw 2S isreversed and the wedge 27 retracted, as indicated in dotted lines inFig. 2. After the generation of gas has once been started the continuousfeeding of the carbid will continue automatically, as above described.

The gas which is' generated by bringing the carbid into Contact with theWater in the chamber 13 is led from the upper part of the said chamberthrough a pipe 3l upwardly through the annular water-chamber 7 to theinterior of the gas-holder 4. The gas will then be permitted to escapefrom the holder through a pipe 32, which passes downwardly through theWater-chamber 7 and the Waterchamber 13 and opens into a gas receivingand distributing chamber This chamber 33 extends nearly the full lengthof the casing l and at the upper end is provided with an outlet, as at34, which is controlled by means of a filtering-cook 35. The cock 35 isformed with a turn-plug 36, having a port formed therein extendingdiametrically through the same. The aperture formed in this plug 36 isfilled with filtering means, preferably a pieceof Wire-gauze 37,rolledupon itself a number of times, as clearly shown in Fig. 4 ofthedrawings. The gas passing from the generator, no mai ter how dry it mayhave been rendered, will carry more or less lime inthe form of very finedust, which lime will operate to clog the pipe carrying the gas if it ispermitted to pass into the same. By forcing the gas to pass through thegauze the lime which is carried by it Will be left in the gauze. Inorder to clean the gauze from time to timeif it gets choked, I form thecasing of the cock or valve 35 with a lateral openingr 38, so that whenthe plug 36 is turned at right angles to this open position the gas Willnot only be checked in its 110W from the genera-- tor, but the foldedgauze may be Withdrawn from the plug 36 through the said opening 38.Since the gauze is preferably1 in the form of a long dat strip foldedupon itself many times, it is only necessary to unfold the said gauze inorder to be able to thoroughly clean it. After it has been cleansed itmay be folded again and inserted in the plug 36, when it will be readyfor use again in detaining the lime carried by the gas. The lower end ofthe gas-receptacle 33 is preferably provided with a safety-valve 39,said valve .being in the form of a dat disk adapted to rest against avalve-seat 40, formed at the bottom of the said chamben33.

Suitable apertures pass through the valveseat, so that the pressure ofthe gas inside the chamber may act to some extent upon the inner surfaceof the valve-disk 39. The valve is provided with a stem 4l, which passesthrough a suitable bearing into the interior of the chamber 33 and isprovided with a nut 42 on its vinner' end, between which and the bearingof the valve-stem is interposed a spring 43, of suitable power, fornormally holding the valve closed against the pressure of the gas. Thetension of the spring may be regulated to some extent by the nut 42. Thespring is made strong enough to normally hold the valve closed under anyordinary pressure of gas; but when the pressure of gas becomes excessivethe valve will yield and permit the gas to escape at this point,

thus relieving undue pressure which might be brought to bear upon theapparatus. The gas-chamber 33 may also be provided with a draw-off cock,as 44, at its lower end, if desired.

The means for introducing fresh charges of carbid into the carbid-holder5 Without stopping the operation of the apparatus or permitting of theescape of gas also forms animportant feature of the present invention.Upon the top of the gas-holder 4. is arranged a horizontal cylinder orvalve casing, as 45, which is provided with openings 46 46, leading intothe top of the gas-holder 4, and diametrically-opposed openings 47 47,leading into a charging-hopper48, formed on the top of the horizontalcylinder.45. Within the cylinder 45 is a rotating cylinder 49, formingthe valve forA receiving and introducing fresh carbid through the top ofthe gas-holder. This cylinder 49 is preferably made to t thecylinder-casing 45 very snugly, a gas-joint being formed between thesame to prevent any gas escaping from the holder. A spindle or stem 50,secured to the valve-cylinder 49, projects outwardly through apacking-gland 5l and receives an operating-handle 52 at its outer end,by Which it and the valve-cylinder 49 may be rotated.

Funnels 53 are preferably arranged belowr the openings 46, so that thecarbid is directed when it falls into the top of the carbid-holder 5. Asshown in the drawings, there may be two of these openings and twocarbid-compartments corresponding therewith in the IOC Irc

valve-cylinder 49, and there may be only one; but a greater number maybe used, if desired, all within the spirit of the present invention.

Elongated openings 54 are formed in the valve-cylinder 49, which areadapted to be brought into coincidence with either opening 46 or 47 ofthe casing 45. Diametrically opposed to these openings 54 in thelcylinder are formed other openings, which, however, are closed by meansof pieces of glass or mica or any suitable transparent material, as at55, so that the interior of the charging mechanism may be inspected fromtime to time without the escape of gas.

The hopper 48 is preferably formed with a hinged cover 56, which isnormally closed to keep out rain and snow and otherwise protect themechanism at this point. When it is necessary to introduce fresh carbidinto the carbid-holder 5, the valve-cylinder 49 is turned by means ofthe handle 52, so that its elongated openings 54 will be broughtuppermost and in coincidence with the openings 47 in the bottom of thehopper 48. The carbid is then introduced into the said hopper until thehollow cylinder 49 is filled therewith, after which the said cylinder orvalve i's turned until the openings 54 are brought immediately abovetheapertures 46 in the top of the gas-holder. The carbid in the saidcylinder 49 will thus be permitted to fall into the top of thecarbid-holder 5 without allowing any gas to escape from the said holder.The interior of the holder and the charging-valve can be inspected atthis time through the glazed openings 55 in the cylinder-valve 49, theybeing at this time in coincidence with the openings 47 of the hopper. v

From the above description it will be evident that my improved apparatusis not only capable of constantly generating acetylene gas, but that thefeeding of the necessary carbid to the water therein is automaticallycontrolled according to the consumption of the gas generated and thatfresh carbid can be supplied to the carbid-holder from time to timewithout stopping the operation of the apparatus or opening the same, soas to permit of any escape of gas. The passing of the gas through theholder 4 above the open carbid-chamber 5 is an important feature of theinvention, since the carbid is well known to absorb moisture rapidly,and the gas being thus permitted to fill the space over the carbid whenpassing from the pipe 31 to pipe 32 becomes thoroughly dried while it isin the gas-holder. It will be further seen that the apparatus isthoroughly safe, since the valve 39 prevents the chance of greatpressure accumulating in the apparatus. The gas is also well filtered asit passes through the filtering-cock 35.

Having now described myinvention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

l. A gas-generator comprising a casing, a gas-holder mounted therein,means for sealing the gas-holder with Water, a carbid-holder arrangedwithin the gas-holder, a valve controlling the discharge of carbid fromsaid holder, means for automatically regulating the position of saidvalve relative to the gaspressure within said gas-holder, and a movableWedge designed to be moved into conv tact with the valve-operatingmechanism for imparting the initial movement to said valve,substantially as described.

2. A gas-generator comprising anouter casing, a gas-holder mountedtherein, a watercompartment formed beneath said gas-holder, acarbid-holder supported above the Water receptacle or compartment andwithin said gas-holder, a valve for controlling the discharge of carbidfrom said holder, having a valve-stem projecting upwardly therefrom insuitable proximity to the top of the gasholder, means for normallyholding the valve in its closed position, means designed to be movedlaterally over the upper end of said valve-stem for imparting theinitial movementthereto, the structure being such that when the valvehas once been opened the pressure of gas in the holder will permit theholder to move downwardlyinto contact with the valve-stem for increasingthe discharge of carbid or lift said holder out of contact therewith-fordecreasing the said discharge, substantially as described.

3. A gas-generator comprising a casing, a water-receptacle mountedtherein, a carbidreceptacle arranged above the same, a valve forcontrolling the discharge of carbid into said Water-receptacle andhaving a valvestem projecting upwardly therefrom, a gasholder inclosingsaid carbid-holder, a horizontally-arranged, reciprocating wedge carriedby the top of the gas-holder, adapted to engage the top of thevalve-stem, and a screw for forcing the wedge back and forth, wherebythe valve may be given its initial movement, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aiiix my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

JUAN DE DIOS TEJADA. Witnesses:

Jos ABELEIRA CARRIL,

ALFREDO PREZ RAMOS.

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